1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tool for carving a pumpkin and other similar items.
2. Background of the Invention
Pumpkin carving is an activity typically associated with Halloween, as the holiday coincides with the time that pumpkins are harvested. An activity enjoyed by small children and adults alike, pumpkin carving ranges from simple jack-o-lanterns to intricate designs. Intricate designs include not only holes cut through the pumpkin, but areas where the orange skin is removed to expose the rind therebelow. The rind itself can also be carved to create a contoured design. Depending upon how much of the orange skin and rind are carved, a visibly pleasing pattern can be created.
Several products have been developed for pumpkin carving. These include templates that are placed on the pumpkin. The design of the template is transferred to the pumpkin for the carver to follow. The design can be transferred by using ink, marker or making a series of small impressions in the skin.
In addition to the templates, small carving knives are usually included in a pumpkin carving kit. These knives are usually small in order to make the more intricate curved cuts required by the template. Pumpkin carving kits also usually include a scooper to remove the seeds and fibrous threads inside the pumpkin.
Previous pumpkin carving tools, such as disclosed in U.S. Application Publication No. 2007/0163125 (Discoe et al.) provide a scraper, without any cutting tool. Similarly, U.S. Application Publication No. 2007/0071843 (Jackson et al.) discloses a scraping tool that does not provide a cutting tool. Other carving kits provide cutting and scraping tools as separate items that cannot be connected, nested or combined in any manner, such as that disclosed in U.S. Application Publication No. 2010/0108561 (Bramhall). Other background art discloses nested utensils, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,409 (Stachowicz). In Stachowicz, the handle 12 of the larger utensil 10 is hollow to accommodate a smaller fork 30. However, the handle 12 does not underlie the remaining part of the utensil. The result is that the handle is relatively short, limiting the size of the smaller fork 30 that will fit within the handle 12.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pumpkin carving tool having a cutting implement nested within a handle of a scraping tool.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a knife nested within the handle of a scraping tool.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a knife within a handle that extends almost the entire length of a scraping tool.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading the disclosure of the present invention.